You don’t need a big greenhouse to start seedlings or harden-off transplants in the spring. Our Patio Grow House has a trim 36" x 18" footprint, so it can fit in any sunny space, yet it provides almost 13 square feet of growing area on three shelves. Like larger, pricier models, it has double-walled polycarbonate glazing to capture and hold the sun’s heat — there’s even glazing on the back. On warm spring days, the gull-wing roof panels and double doors open to prevent overheating. Because the best spring sun often shines on the deck or patio, we’ve given the Grow House a handsome wood frame (treated with eco-friendly preservatives) to go with your patio furniture. It’s a lot of greenhouse at a surprisingly affordable price.

Good: this little greenhouse offers a lot of capacity for the money. Bad: the construction is pretty flimsy, as the sides, back and top all have thin cedar framing members, and the back even has a hinge in the center to boot. If they made the back one rigid piece, all wood, and the rest of the frame members 50% thicker, it would be much sturdier with the same basic design.

Rear Hinged Panel wood was split during factory assembly (pre insertion of screw) a disappointment, delaying assembly. Was not inspected prior to shipment. But customer service was very helpful in offering a replacement panel right away. Within days. Fortunately I opened the packaging shortly after ordering, and discovered that it was defective within the warranty period. I ordered in the fall, intending to assemble in the spring. I am very glad that I did inspect it when I did. I rarely have been disappointed with supplies ordered from this company.

Although I live on the east coast, I set this grow house up with the intention of using it early next spring and through the winter in a very sunny part of my deck to extend the growing season on some herbs and cold tolerant edibles. It's a nice size and after purchasing the trays, it works well. It is not completely enclosed so even with the vents down, cold drafts will go through the structure, but it still works well for my purpose.

After reading the comments about this product, I felt this was the greenhouse for me. It's very lightweight, made of Chinese Pine, which makes it easy for me to move. This may be a drawback to some, as it will not standup to heavy rains and such, but I have it on my patio, where it's sheltered. I like having wood, rather than metal or plastic. I also like the vents at the top and the slatted wood shelves.

I was very disappointed in this from the beginning. It is way too flimsy and lightweight to use outdoors as a greenhouse. It would need to be anchored down somehow and probably would not last long in the elements. I ended up using mine on my porch for storage. The wood is very lightweight and flimsy ... think balsa wood. When we moved it temporarily to restain our deck the sides bowed in under light pressure. The wood is so fragile, that the knobs for the doors came off after a few uses. This is definitely NOT worth the money!!!

Bottom LineNo, I would not recommend this to a friend

Merchant response: We were so sorry to hear about this reviewer's disappointment in the grow house. We have reached out to them to see what we can do to make it right. As always, we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our products!

Love my "mini greenhouse." Perfect for bringing sick plants back to life or storing your trays of plants until the danger of frost has past. Not sure if this complaint is specific to my shipment, but the doors do not fully come together at the bottom (hatches at the top) so they stick out an inch or so. Also, on one of the panels we had to "work" the plexiglass(?) back into the wooden frame grove since it was dislodged. I did not notify the company since I was able to fix, and I put a rock at the bottom of the doors to hold together.

I bought this grow rack with the intention of using it to harden some of my sprouted seedlings that had outgrown their grow-light shelving inside my home. I'm delighted with how lightweight and portable it is--I can move it single-handedly, although it is bulky and fragile so a second pair of hands is useful. The wood isn't treated as stated in the ad--it's raw Chinese pine, and it was quite thirsty for the 4 coats of varnish it finally took before I was satisfied with it (the varnish also helps stabilize the shelving). I'd definitely recommend caulking around the panes, for added warmth & stability. Finally, you'll need to glue the doorknobs on, because the wood screws the kit comes with are not long enough to sufficiently bite into the knobs. Perhaps the only other modification I might make would be to tack a wooden slat between the doorknobs onto one door to prevent chilly breezes from invading my seedling house.

When you decide where to put the grow rack, keep in mind the following: it's lightweight and high cross-sectional area, so you definitely want to anchor it down with heavy bricks, stakes, whatever (I chose bricks on the bottom shelf plus a placement next to a shielded wall of my home). The frame is quite fragile, so make sure that you've placed it on a perfectly level surface (yes, get out a plumb bob or a level for this) or the doors may not open and close cleanly.

With a little common sense, this is a perfectly nice addition to my garden, and has allowed me to attempt this year some less hardy plants that simply can't be grown in my zone without a little greenhouse help.